Fire
by repmetsyrrah
Summary: S/T Sybil lives AU. Tom wakes up in hospital the day after Downton Abbey catches fire. Based on a scene in the trailer.


This is based on the spoilers of the first episode of S5 which sees a fire start on Edith's room as well as the brief shot in the trailer of Tom running down a hallway holding the children. Sybil lives AU of course.

**Fire**

* * *

><p>It felt as if his lungs were filled with broken glass.<p>

The rest of him hadn't been neglected either. His arms ached and his head was pounding and he felt as if he hadn't slept in a month.

_He'd been in the nursery, reading the children their bedtime story, when he'd smelt the smoke._

_There'd been no time to try and figure out what had happened. He ran back to the children._

_"We have to go, come on."_

_"Why?" Saoirse's head whipped around the room as Tom picked her up, searching for the cause of her Da's sudden distress._

_"There's a fire," Tom told her, trying to keep calm, "but we'll be fine if we leave now."_

He took a breath, intending to summon the strength to open his eyes but the air caught in his throat and he started coughing violently, pain shooting through his chest as he fought to draw air back in.

He felt a hand on his back and heard his wife's voice. "Relax and just try and breathe."

The fit subsided a moment later and Sybil helped him lie back in the hospital bed again, handing him a glass of water and helping him take a few sips.

He opened his mouth to ask her what had happened but he couldn't produce anything beyond a rasping whisper.

Sybil shook her head, sitting on the bed and leaning forward, her hand coming up to his face. "Shh, don't try and talk, you need to rest your voice. You inhaled an awful lot of smoke."

_The children hadn't spoken as he'd run down the hall, trying to escape the smoke. Saoirse's head was down, her entire focus on holding onto her father as tightly as she could. George was sitting up, wide-eyed and clinging desperately to his uncle._

_Sybil had almost barreled into him as he'd turn the corner on her way to the nursery._

_"Tom, Saoirse, thank God!"_

"Saoirse?" Tom asked, immediately ignoring his wife's previous order not to speak.

His voice was barely more than a whisper and painful as anything but Sybil understood.

"She's fine, so is George-"

Another memory came to him.

"Matthew?"

"He fine too, and Papa, no one-"

"How many-"

"Tom!" Sybil placed a hand on his mouth, gently but enough to stop him speaking. "No one died so _stop talking_." She took her hand away."Edith's a little worse than you but she is the worst and she'll make a fully recovery. "Papa, Matthew and Thomas were all discharged an hour ago."

"Everyone-"

"Everyone's alive," she promised him. "And thanks to you really."

_Sybil had taken Saoirse from him as soon as they'd found themselves safe outside. Her hands were shaking and he knew holding her daughter was as much to calm herself as comfort the crying four year old._

_Mary joined them, taking her son but grabbing Tom's arm before he could turn away._

_"Matthew and Papa were playing billiards, I haven't seen them come out."_

_Tom swore and turned back towards the house. The fire hadn't spread too far but if they waited any longer-_

_He ran back inside._

"You saved Papa's life. And Matthew's."

"Ensuring the survival of the English aristocracy," Tom muttered, managing a small smile. "My ancestors must be turning in their graves."

"Your ancestors don't know you if they think you'd leave _anyone_ in a burning building. No matter how much it scared your wife when she thought you weren't coming out."

"I didn't-"

"I know." She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "You did come out and that's all that matters in the end. And I'm very proud of what you did. I'm sure I'll forgive you one day."

He smiled at her teasing, though he knew she must have been terrified and he was sorry for causing her so much worry.

Another thought occurred to him and he raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I'll have your father's blessing now?"

He smiled when she laughed, but she stopped quickly when his own laugh turned into another painful coughing fit. She rubbed his back and murmured soothing words until he relaxed enough for it to calm. She helped him drink some more water before pushing him back into the bed again.

"You need to rest and _stop talking_. Doctor's orders. Especially if all you're going to do is make jokes about almost dying. Next time you try and say anything I'll have a nurse gag you."

Tom smiled but his eyes were growing heavy again, which wasn't surprising given how exhausted his body was.

"Sleep," Sybil ordered him, noticing his fatigue. "I promise I'll wake you when Mama brings Saoirse by."

Tom nodded, closing his eyes and sinking back into the pillows as his wife gently stroked his hair.

Who was he to argue with a doctor?


End file.
